Headrest



March 23, 1943. c, A, COMPTON 2,314,771

HEAD REST Filed 06T..` 10, 1941 Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES' EATENT FFICE HEADREST Charles A. Compton, Washington, D. C.

Application October 10, 1941, Serial No. 414,529

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a head-rest.

An object of the invention is the provision of a head-rest which may be folded into a small flat package for convenient transportation, said package having a. minimum of weight and bulk with the parts forming the rest being also reduced to a minimum for simplicity and ease of operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a head-rest which may be readily assembled by the setting of a few parts for maintaining a canvas or other fabricated material taut to receive and support the head 'of a person, the head-rest being capable of being readily disassembled and confined to av small package which may be placed in a soldiers kit.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a head-rest or a support for the body of a. person which may be readily collapsed by the simple expedient of loosening a turnbuckle connection between the several parts of the device, the support including a base member, pivoted frames and a strip of canvas with means for maintaining the frames in spaced relation with the canvas or other material which is connected to the frames being maintained taut by the turnbuckle connection between one of the frames and the base member.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration ofthe following detailed description, in View of the accompanying drawing forming a part of the speciiication; nevertheless, it is te be understood that the invention is not conned. to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modifications as dene no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the support.

Figure 2 is a plan View of the same.

Figure 3 is a view in erspective of the support.

Figure 4 is a front view in elevation of the modified form of the support.

Figure 5 is a side View of the modified form.

Figure 6 is a View in perspective of the modifled form of the support.

Referring more particularly to Figs, l to 3inclusive, it will be seen that a pair of angle iron base members I@ are located in spaced relation with one of the flanges II resting upon the ground or floor.

A rod I2 has its opposite threaded ends projecting through openings in the base members I0 adjacent one end of said base members andY a cap nut I3 is threaded on the outer projltipgl ends for securing the rods. rigidly to the angesv I4 of the base members I0. The rods I2 at the inner faces ofthe flanges Iii are provided with a. shoulder I2a so that when the nuts. I3-are screwed. up tight the base members and the rod. will be rigidly secured together. A second .rod I5' has threaded ends passing through openings in the other ends of the anges I of the base members Ill and cap nuts I6v are screwed onto the outer projecting ends of said rod for rigidly securing. said rod to the base members. Said rod at the in ner face of the' flanges Ill may bel providedv with shoulders I'I so that the nutsI IS may clamp the anges Illl of the base members. rigidly to the opposite ends of the rod I5..

A U-shaped frame generally designated. by. the numeral 2li hasa bight portion 2| and depending legs 22. At the end ofthe legs are provided pintles 2-3 which pass through bearings 24. formed in the flanges It of the base member and these bearings are located adjacent the rod I5. but spaced inwardly therefrom. These bearings are also located in ahigher horizontal plane thanl the plane through which the rod. I5 is located. Cap nuts 25 are threaded onto the outerends ofthe pintles 23 for preventing thepintles from becoming disengaged from the bearings 24.

A second U-shaped frame generally designated by the numeral El has a bight por-tion 28andr depending legs 2S which have pintles. 3l) passing through bearings 3l in the endsof the base mem.- ber adjacent the-ends of the rod I2 but slightly outwardly from the ends of said rod and at a low--v er plane. Cap nuts 32 are screwed onto the ends of the pintles 3B for maintaining the pintles in position. It will be noted from Fig. 1 that since the pintles 35)' are located below the horizontal level of the rod I2v and adjacenttheretothe legs 29 of the U-shaped frame ZTI will lean towards the rod and engage the same for maintaining the frame 21 in any elevated position.

A strip of canvas or other fabricated material 35 is providedwith hems or loops 3i?v and 31. at its opposite ends to receive the respectiverbight portion 28 of the frame 2'I and the bight portion 2I of the frame 20. `Since the legs 29 of the frame 21 are considerably shorter than the legs 22 of the frame 2B the material 35 will be inclined at an angle to the horizontal and this inclination is such that when a person is resting his head upon the material his head will be maintained in a comfortable position. Furthermore, the bight portion 28 of the frame 2'I is'lowered sufliciently so that said bight portion will not engage the neck of the person resting his head upon the taut material 35.

A pair of rods 40 and 4| are joined together by a turnbuckle 42 at their inner alined threaded ends. The rod 4| is provided with a hook 43 which receives the bar I5 while a hook 44 on the outer end of the rod 40 receives the bight portion 2| of the frame 20. When the turnbuckle 42 is revolved in the proper direction, the rods 4B and 4| will be drawn toward each other thereby exerting a pull between the rod I5 and the bight portion 2| of the frame 20. This pull tends to force the bight portion 2| outwardly so that the material will be drawn taut.

A second turnbuckle 45 connects the ends of a The rod 45 is pair of rods 4B and 41 together. provided with a lateral bearing 48 which receives the inner end o f the rod 4|. The rod 48 is provided with a lateral bearing 49 which receives the rod 40. The rod 4| is provided with a shoulder 48a loc-ated between the bearing 48 and the adjacent end of the turnbuckle 42. The rod is provided with a shoulder 49a located between the bearing 49 and the adjacent end of the turnbuckle 42. The turnbuckle when properly rotated will maintain the bearings 48, 49 in close association with the respective shoulders 48a and 49a and these bearings in connection with the shoulders will prevent the rods 4| and 40 from being unscrewed entirely from the sleeve 42. However, the shoulders and the position of the bearings 48, 49 will be such that the turnbuckle 42 may be adjusted to permit the hooks 43 on the rod 4| to be released from the rod I5.

When it is desiredvto collapse the head rest or support it is only necessary to properly operate the turnbuckle 42 so that the hook on the end of the rod 4I may be released from the rod l5. After this the frame 22 may be moved inwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 until it will fall upon the flanges l of the base members I0. The material 35 after the frame 29 is swung outwardly in the same direction as the frame 22, can be laid at between the base members I0. Thus it will be seen that all of the parts can be laid flat between the base members ||l to provide an extremely small package for transportation.

On the other hand, when it is desired to erect the support it is only necessary. to swing the frames 20 and 21 in the opposite direction and to their elevated positions as shown in Fig. 1. The hook 43 of the rod 4| is engaged over the bar |5. After this the turnbuckle 42 may be properly adjusted for exerting the proper pull on the frame 20 to maintain the material 35 taut.

The device illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive is similar in many respects to that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. In the modied form, however, two frames generally designated by the numerals50 and 5| have pivotal connections respectively at 452 an-d 53 with the base member 54 and these frames also have pivotal connections with the base member 55 as shown at 58 and 51. These base members are similar in all respects to the base members |0 shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. The legs 58 of each frame are shorter than the other legs 59 of said frames so that the bight portions 5|] and 6| of the respective frames 5|) and 5| are inclined at an angle to the horizontal.

A rod 62 has one end secured to the base member 54 by means of a cap nut 63 with a shoulder 65 abutting the inner face of the base member 54. The opposite end of the rod is also provided base member 55 with a cap nut 61 screwed onto the outer threaded end of the rod for drawing the base member tight against the shoulder 66.

Since the rod 68 is similar in construction and ,is connected to the base members in the same manner as is the rod 62, no description will be given of such connections and therefore the same reference numerals are applied to such connection.

Each of the rods 62 and S8 are provided with a notched or grooved portion 10 to receive a hook 1| on the end of a rod 12. A rod 13 is also provided with -a hook 14 to engage over the bight portion of each frame 5|) and 5|. These hooks pass through a slot 15 in a piece of canvas or fabricated material 16. Since the turnbuckle for connecting and adjusting the rods 12 and 13 towards or away from each other is identical in construction to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive as is the protective turnbuckle, the same reference numerals are applied to the various parts of the two turnbuckles as has been applied to the same elements with a shoulder 66 abutting the innerface of the 75 in Figs. 1 to 3.

It will be noted that the pivotal connections 52, 53. 56 and 51 for the ends of the legs of the frames 50 and 5| are located inwardly of the connections between the rods 62 and the base members 54 and 55 so that when the turnbuckles 42 are properly adjusted the bight portion 60 and 6| of the respective frames 59 and. 5| are pulled outwardly for maintaining the material 16 taut. In this particular construction it will be noted that the edge 11 of the material which is located adjacent the neck of the person resting his head upon the material is free of any metallic part. However, the legs 58 are slightly longer than the legs 29 as shown in Fig. 1.

Nhile I have shown two forms of the device which may be used as a head-rest, nevertheless by making the base members sufficiently long and the frames stouter than that necessary for a head-rest, a cot may be evolved which will support the body of a person and which may be readily assembled or disassembled in the same manner as the head-rest.

When the support shown in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive is collapsed after the turnbuckles 42 have been rotated suiciently to release the hooks 1| from the bars 62 and 68, the frames 50 and 5| will lie within the base members 54 and 55 and rest in superimposed relation on the horizontal flanges of said base members with the fabric 16 overlapping the bight portions of the frames. It will be seen that a small and compact package will be provided which may be readily assembled into an operative position by the proper application of the turnbuckles and the attached rods.

The hooks 44 in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive and the hooks 14 in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive are not released when the support is collapsed since they are curved suiiiciently around the respective bight portions of the frames toretain said hooks thereon. Thus the hooks 44 and 14 serve to retain the turnbuckles and the associated rods on the support when said support is collapsed.

I claim:

1. A head-rest comprising a pair of spaced base members, a rod connected to each pair of ends of the base members to form a unit, a bearing at each end of the base member and disposed inwardly of the rods, a U-shaped frame located adjacent each rod and having pintles on the free ends of the legs received by the contiguous bearings, a strip* of fabricated material having its ends connected to the bight portions of the frames, said bight portions forming sulgzportsv for the material at each side of the head rest, and removable means connected between said bight portions and the adjacently disposed rods for tilting said frames outwardly and for drawing the material taut, one of the legs of each frame being shorter than the other leg for causing the taut material to be inclined to the horizontal, the lower edge of the taut material being. free ci rigid elements so that when the head is placed upon the material the head and neck of the person using the head rest will be freely supported by the material only.

2. A collapsible head rest comprising a base member, a pair of spaced frames pivoted on said base member and rising therefrom, a strip of fabric connected between the tops of the frames, a rod adjacent one frame and having one end connected with the top of the associated frame, a second rod in line with the first rod and having connection at one end with the base member, a turnbuckle, the other ends of the rods being threaded into said turnbuckle for causing the top of the associated frame to be drawn outwardly for pulling the fabric taut, means for retaining the other frame against movement, each rod having a shoulder thereon near an end of the turnbuckle, a second turnbuckle, rods extending from the opposite ends of the second turnbuckle and provided with bearings coacting with the shoulders on the first-mentioned rods to prevent total disengagement of said rst-mentioned rods from the associated turnbuckle. f

3. A head-rest comprising a pair of spaced base members, a rod connected to each pair of ends of the base members to form a unit, a bearing at each end of each base member and at one side of the ends of the rods, a U-shapedframe located adjacent each rod and having pintles on the free ends of the legs received by contiguous bearings, the legs of one frame being longer than the legs of the other frame, a strip of fabricated material having the ends connected to the bight portions of the frames, and means connected between one of the rods and the bight portion of the adjacently disposed frame having the longer legs for pulling on said bight portions and for drawing the material taut, the legs of the other frame being adapted to be held in a tilted position by the adjacently disposed rod when the material is drawn taut.

CHARLES A. COIWPTON. 

